Vanessa Johnston

Dr. Vanessa Johnston

Senior Lecturer, Law
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Details

Open to

  • Masters Research or PhD student supervision

About

Vanessa Johnston is an accomplished scholar in environmental and climate law, specialising in the intersection of climate change, real property, and transport regulation. With a PhD in Law, along with Bachelor’s and Master’s qualifications, she practiced law in both Victorian and federal jurisdictions  for almost 10 years in areas property, commercial, and tax law. She joined RMIT University in 2020, bringing her expertise in climate law, environmental governance, and urban planning into legal scholarship and teaching.   Her research critically examines how law and policy shape climate resilience, particularly in transport systems, land use, and corporate accountability for climate impacts. Her recent work explores liability frameworks in climate litigation, regulatory approaches to sustainable urban mobility, and legal mechanisms to protect infrastructure from extreme weather events.

Research fields

  • 4802 Environmental and resources law
  • 4806 Private law and civil obligations
  • 4803 International and comparative law
  • 480405 Law and society and socio-legal research
  • 480409 Legal education
  • 480604 Property law (excl. intellectual property law)
  • 420699 Public health not elsewhere classified
  • 400512 Transport engineering
  • 330409 Transport planning

UN sustainable development goals

  • 13 Climate Action
  • 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • 4 Quality Education

Supervisor projects

  • NetZero, Just Transition and Sovereignty; reconciling fossil fuel non-proliferation with economic rights of states under international law.
  • 24 Oct 2025
  • What do courts in Victoria mean by `community expectations' in the context of sentencing in criminal proceedings and options for reform? 
  • 12 Sep 2025

Teaching interests

Vanessa has experience teaching compulsory, Priestley, and elective law courses into Law Programs at AQF7-9 (Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Law(Hons), Masters of Law, Juris Doctor). She regularly teaches property law, Introductory/Foundation law courses, and climate change.

 

Vanessa is committed to implementing innovative and authentic learning design, leading and collaborating on projects that enhance student learning and assessment through theuse of technology and Generative AI. Her classroom experience has provided the basis for scholarship of learning & teaching iniatives ranging from projects at individual course level, contributions to degree-wide teaching innovation, to involvement in national initiatives to embed climate change content in legal education across Australia. 

 

Teaching Awards / Grants

 

2024 - RMIT ADVC EdTech Encouragement Award (winner)

2024 - RMIT College of Business & Law Scholarship of Learning & Teaching (grant recipient)

2023 - RMIT College of Business & Law L&T Impact Award (nomination)

2017  - Monash University Innovation Teaching Award (winner)  

 

Research interests

Vanessa’s current research projects examine how climate change is affecting real property law in Australia, and separately how regulation can contribute towards improving the sustainability of Australia’s transport sector, including by carbon pricing and the promotion of sustainable transport. She has produced expert reports for the Victorian Government about regulatory issues affecting road users in the context of sustainable transport.

 

Keywords:

  • Climate Change regulation
  • Real Property Law
  • Environmental and Planning Law
  • Sustainable Transport
  • Comparative Law

 

Initiatives and links

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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